Easter 1915

What was Easter like in Birmingham, Alabama in 1915?

Take a look at what people were purchasing during the Easter shopping season, learn what the well dressed man was wearing, and where to buy the best flowers and candy. Of course, don't forget all the trimmings for Easter dinner.

Easter was on Sunday, April 4th in 1915. Mary Hansell Shook holds the Easter lilly in her hands. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Pascal G. Shook.

The Birmingham News, April 4, 1915
"Mother's new Silk Dress and Father's new Spring Suit won't show up the Boy's winter-worn clothes very well, will they? It doesn't cost much to fit him 'cap-a-pie' for Easter Sunday--at Porter's. The boy will be 'pleased as Punch' with the clothes & Father with the moderate cost, and Mother will like Porter service."

This ad advertises to the whole family and uses forgotten slang like 'pleased as punch' and 'cap-a-pie' (dressing from head to foot).

The Birmingham Ledger, April 1, 1915
"Make the lad glad bring him to Blach's. And dress him up with brand new clothes for the glorious Easter season--a season that belongs to the boy as well as to older folks--so let it be his to enjoy. A new suit, new shoes, a hat or cap, a dainty little blouse or a shirt with tie to match, will gladden his little heart in a big way."

The Birmingham News, April 1, 1915
"--then come to this thoroughly modern Toggery Shop of ours--manned by men always most pleased when you are, and never happy till you get what you want."

Blach's is a toggery, or as we call it now a men's clothing store. Imagine a men's clothing store staffed exclusively by men who won't be happy until you get what you want. This is something you rarely see today.

The Birmingham Age-Herald, April 4, 1915
This is the only ad advertising children's dresses in the color white. Is this the beginning of a long-held Southern tradition of the acceptability of wearing white after Easter (instead of Memorial Day) and packing up the white clothes at Labor Day?

The Birmingham Ledger, April 1, 1915
"How are you fixed for Easter Togs? When you join the Easter Morn Parade you want to be well dressed as any man in it, don't you? And you don't want to 'pay too much', do you? And if you find yourself on Easter Eve with the Easter suit unbought--if you want all things that make satisfaction, come to Drennen's Men's Store on Saturday."

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
"It costs you nothing! To see our line of men's suits, but it means to us an opportunity to make of you one of our customers, and to you a better knowledge of what constitutes good value. Our goods are so attractive, so honest all through, and so reasonable in price, that we believed the strongest advertising campaign we can conduct lies in your personal acquaintance with them."

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
This ad markets last year's clothes with unbelievable prices and suggests that "a little changing here and that will make them up to the minute in style".

The Birmingham Ledger, April 1, 1915
Targeting procrastinators and bargain hunters, The Ideal claimed that "Late buyers will positively profit by these delayed express shipments." The question that remains for all those late buyers is: Do they have it in my size?

The Birmingham News, April 1, 1915
The tone of this ad sounds like a used car salesman trying to sell you clothes at, of course, rocket bottom prices. Did we mention that the tag line of Marc Linx is the Misfit Clothing Parlor?

The Birmingham Ledger, April 1, 1915
"Don't mar your appearance by having an unbecoming hat for Easter."

The Birmingham Age-Herald, April 3, 1915
"When a man thinks of a new hat, he considers how his old hat has worn. If we sold him the old hat he is pretty apt to buy the new hat from us."

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
"Don't wear the old hat on Easter! By all means appear in new headwear Easter morn. Come here, and let us put the best $1.50 hat you ever worn on your head."

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
An Easter suit needs a new tie. Sommer advertises bat wings, which is a name for a popular style of a bow tie.

The Birmingham Ledger, April 1, 1915
"Be well gloved for Easter morning. Twelve thousand dealers and millions of women prefer Kayser Silk Gloves, more merely because they are the best known gloves in Europe and America, but because they have found out from actual experience that Kayser Silk Gloves wear better and fit better."
Gloves have virtually disappeared from today's fashion landscape. In 1915, gloves were still seen as a finishing touch to a lady's outfit and a sign of gentility.

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
Louis Forst's claimed to be "Everybody's Shoe Shoe", and enticed people into the store with the fare refunding sale. The store would reimburse you your streetcar fare, and had the slogan of "Don't walk--Ride to Forst's and get your carfare refunded on Friday and Saturday".

The Birmingham News, April 1, 1915
This ad targeted mothers and children with its promise of a free Easter basket for the children. Mothers would love the idea of salespeople trained to fit children's shoes who understood that extra room in shoes was a necessity for the growing feet of children.

The Birmingham News, April 1, 1915
Collins' Fine Footwear refused to be topped by its competition of the Guarantee Shoe Company with its enticement of Easter baskets for children. They added to their Easter baskets a candy rabbit and chicks. Hopefully, those chicks would be of the candied variety instead of live chicks, which have definitely dismayed many mothers.

The Birmingham News, April 1, 1915
"A Well Dressed Man on Easter Morn knows he must wear Excelsior laundered collars and shirts to appear his best. Excelsior is the gentleman's criterion of a perfect laundry. Men praise Excelsior Laundry."

Laundry services advertised around Easter appealed to the single man who would join his family for Easter festivities.

The Birmingham News, April 2, 1915
"Easter is just as good a time as any other for making and keeping good resolutions--
Therefore--
Resolve today that you are going to send your garments to the Empire, where they will be thoroughly washed, properly starched and ironed, carefully handled, and returned in such a splendid condition that you will be satisfied with your laundry.
Make this resolution--and be sure to keep it."

The Birmingham News, April 4, 1915
Easter would not be the same without its Easter lilies and all the other Spring flowers.

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
Parker's Drug Store
Flowers help make Easter into a Spring holiday, and this drugstore was not afraid to compete with the florist by advertising its low prices.

The Birmingham Age-Herald, April 3, 1915
Dying eggs is an Easter tradition. In 1915, you could buy dye for 5 cents, and it could color up to 300 eggs. What is even more impressive is that you could dye eggs 100 colors and designs with Fleck's Easter Egg Dyes, and Eugene Jacob's Drug Store could mail you dye for an additional 2 cents.

The Birmingham News, April 1, 1915
Easter can be sweeter with a nut, coconut, or orange layer cake from McGough's Bakery.

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
"Candies for Easter will convey your greetings most appropriately. Delicious bonbons and chocolates for 'grownups'. 'Good to eat' Easter eggs, rabbits, and chicks for the 'little folks'."

Everyone loves candy where they are a "grownup" or belong to the "little folk" as Huyler's ad suggests with its use of quotations. Even more humorous are the quotations around "good to eat" candy as it somewhat alludes to candy having some nutritional value. We all know "good to eat" refers to the delicious taste of candy.

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
"Haven't you always wanted a delicious breakfast of ham and eggs--flavory ham with the hickory tang and fresh, wholesome eggs? This is the kind of breakfast that will await you tomorrow morning for Easter if you ask your dealer for Supreme Food Products."

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
Easter would not be Easter without the amazing spread of food. Hill's Grocery had a special on key ingredients. You could buy ham for $16.5 cent a pound or a dozen eggs for $.22 cents.

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
Seafood could be another option for your Easter dinner.

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
The publishing of the topic for Sunday sermon was a weekly tradition in newspapers in 1915. Most of the topics focus on the Resurrection and the empty tomb. Historically, Christmas and Easter are high attendance Sundays for most churches as entire families attended as part of their Easter celebration. It was also a place to be seen and display the latest additions to your wardrobe and model your Easter hat.

The Birmingham News, April 3, 1915
Instead of waking up to news stories about Easter, Birmingham woke up and found out that the Bulgarians have invaded Serbian territory, which heightened the possibility that four more additional European nations would be drawn into the Great War. At this time, the U.S. was practicing neutrality, and it would not be until two years later in 1917 that U.S. entered the war.